The Dragon Slayer
by Fabulous 32
Summary: An old fashioned Buffy adventure set early season 5 - After an unknown creature leaves behind a trail of carnage the Scoobies discover why fairy tales shouldn't come true.
1. Chapter 1

**The Dragon Slayer**

**I do not own Buffy the Vampire Slayer**

Lisa had all but two of the ingredients she needed for the first spell. The best chance of finding the missing items lay in the Magic Box. She didn't like the store much. It was full of dark books and strange statues. However it was well stocked and was sure to have the crystal and lizard blood she needed.

When Lisa entered the darkened shop she expected to see the strange English owner or be pounced on by his downright insane female assistant. Instead there was Willow and Tara from Wicca group. The two girls were always holding hands and staring at each other. It was disgusting. Lisa thought they would be better off in the Lesbian Alliance. They were talking to Buffy Summers, big trouble. Lisa knew Buffy from European History. Well, from not being in European History. Buffy seemed to be always cutting class. Her mum was ill this year, but what was her excuse last year. Lisa discretely moved to the back shelves hoping not to be noticed. She found the crystal she needed and went to the counter for the blood. She was surprised when Willow came around to serve.

"You work here?" asked Lisa, now liking this shop even less.

"I'm just helping out." admits Willow. "Hey, don't I know you from Wicca group. Liz isn't it?"

"Lisa." She corrected.

"Lisa, sorry! Can I help you?"

Lisa wanted to say no, and just walk away. She would have if the spell hadn't been so important. But she figured she could brush with a little evil. She was prepared to go into a dark place to make the light. Her spell would soon wipe it all away. Lisa put the crystal on the counter and asked for the lizard blood. This surprised Willow.

"You're doing a spell!" exclaimed the red-head. "You do spells, I didn't know! Tara!"

The blonde came over followed by Buffy. Lisa was uncomfortable. She didn't like the increased audience, it scared her.

"Tara." explained Willow, "Lisa does spells! I'm sorry for the excitement, but Tara and I thought we were the only real witches on campus. This is so cool! What spell ya doing?"

Lisa was rather overcome by this, and rather hurt at being called a witch. Witches were evil, she wasn't a witch.

"I don't think that's any of your business."

"Oh." Said Willow, rather deflated, "Okay." She went to get the lizard's blood.

"Are you doing Teeny Tinkerbelle Lights?" asked Tara, looking at the crystal on the counter. "That's a good spell. My mum taught it to me when I was six."

"Something like that." admitted Lisa, surprisingly responding to the blonde's soft tones. Then she shook herself. She needed to get out of this store as soon as possible.

"Don't use too much Rosewood or it can get away from you very easily." Tara suggested noticing Lisa's unease. "I had one lot of sparks - glowed for weeks."

Lisa didn't respond.

Willow brought over the blood; Lisa paid and left as fast as she could.

"That's odd." said Willow as the door swung shut. "She never seemed the type for witchcraft."

"Too flowery?" offered Buffy.

"She's doing Teeny Tinkerbelle." said Tara.

"Oh well." Said Willow, smiling. "She's a flowery witch. Cool, there's nothing wrong with that."

…

"Well I find it helps to let it all out. Pain just eats and eats inside you. The sooner you let go the better you'll feel."

It was an old line, and well used, but then again it always seemed to work. He could already feel the brunette in his arms relax into his embrace. He was so good at this, it was all so easy. He stroked her shoulder in a tender way he knew she'd respond to_. 'Okay what was her name again?'_

"Shhh, Penny. It's going to be okay. I'm here." He whispered.

He felt her tears start to fall. He phased out at that point, his hands groping her body as casually as he could in mock comfort. He stared into space. There was an early evening mist beginning to form around them and he could feel the chill in the air; another excuse to pull her closer.

"_Tonight's the night."_ He thought. _"The boy has scored again…"_

He was so caught up in self-congratulations he almost missed Penny start in his arms.

"What's that?" she whispered.

"What?" he asked annoyed at the distraction. A pungent smell wafted towards them, like the sewers.

"Urg, what is that smell?"

"Listen." said the girl, hushing him.

There was aloud snort from the mist just to their right. Then there was a hammering clatter. It sounded like thunder, and it was loud. It seemed to come from everywhere at once. Then something impossible charged at them out of the billowing mist. Not believing what he was seeing, he pushed the girl away and ran for his life. Looking back he noticed the creature didn't miss a step as it impaled and tossed the girl's body; sending it spinning in the air. He ran faster.

_"Run, run! Come on Parker man, you can't die like this! Not like this!"_

…

It was all quiet at the Magic Box. A shocked silence hung over the Scooby meeting. Newspapers were spread over the research table. Bold headlines read, TWELVE MURDERED IN PATH OF HORROR, THE TRAIL OF BLOOD and CORPSE ROAD, SUNNYDALE. Twelve people had been brutally murdered, mutilated and apparently eaten. The killer cut a swath from the U.C. Sunnydale campus to the edge of town. Couples out at night in Sunnydale were never safe, but even by this towns standards it was horrific and it obviously wasn't vampires.

"What could do something like that?" asked a horrified Willow.

"I'm not sure." said Giles, polishing his glasses out of nervous habit. "It's not a demon I'm aware of. I mean most demons kill, but not in this manner. It is so pointless, there is no pattern."

"Could it be a portent? A big evily-evil a-brewing?" asked Buffy, pushing the papers disdainfully away.

"We should research." Said Giles, "Find out what could do this kind of damage. The reports say they were stabbed or skewered."

"It's not Adam?" asked Xander, getting worried, "I mean we dealt with that whole dealio!"

"No not Adam." Said Giles. "He never ate his victims."

"A Polgara demon then?" asked Buffy. "I mean that is where the skewer came from in the first place."

"No." said Giles. "Polgara are pretty much animals. And they are also incredibly timid for demons. A Polgara wouldn't do this, even if it had the speed and strength required for such a massacre."

"So what could do this?" asked Xander, trying hard not to look too hard at the gruesome pictures in newsprint, right under his nose.

"That's what we need to find out." said Giles. He wrinkled his brow and moved to the bookcase.

"Look you guys start on the research." said Buffy, "I'm going to follow this trail. Look for clues, see where it takes me."

"Hooray!" said Xander without enthusiasm. "Let's crack some books and find this week's monster!"

"I promised Tara I'd meet her at the cafeteria for breakfast." piped up Willow, looking at her watch.

"Don't panic, I'll send her back here." said Buffy as she got up to leave. "We could use her help with the research."

"Thanks." said Willow, even though it wasn't exactly what she wanted to hear. "Good luck."

"You too." called Buffy. The bell over the door jangled behind her and she was gone.

…

Tara was having serious second thoughts. She was alone in a mist shrouded wood while a vicious killer was on the loose. When she had read the paper that morning she figured that Willow and the Scoobies would be hot on the trail of this new deadly menace. She had hurried to the end of the trail hoping to catch them up. Only there was no sign of anybody. Not a living breathing soul for miles. Tara felt scared and incredibly stupid coming here alone.

"You seem a little lost." said a soulless voice behind her.

Tara swallowed and turned slowly towards the sound.

…

There was no sign of Tara at the cafeteria, so Buffy headed off to the crime scene. Willow's girlfriend had probably already seen the papers and was at the Magic Box right now. When she got to Lowell House the morning mist hung heavy in the air. Buffy noticed a familiar broad shouldered figure hovering by the police tape.

"Hey Riley!" she called with a smile, wrapping her arms around his muscular torso.

"Thought I'd find you here." replied the ex-commando, giving her a kiss.

"Yeah." said Buffy, matter of factly. "You know me! I'm grisly trails of death girl. It isn't big bloody death without Buffy!"

"So?" asked Riley.

"So let's look for clues and find this thing before it strikes again."

They creep past the police tape and circle the area.

"Two bodies were found here." said Buffy, pacing the road trying not to look too hard at the blood stained tarmac.

"Yeah." confirmed Riley, flipping through a small note book. "Penny Brookes was found here." He pointed to bushes a few meters to the right of the road, a splatter trail of blood following the path of his arm. "She was skewered or staked in the shoulder. She was tossed here and bled to death."

"Uh-hum." said Buffy trying to desensitise herself to the gruesome details, only it wasn't really working.

"And Parker Adams was found a few meters this way." said Riley pointing up the road into the hazy mist.

"Parker!" gasped Buffy. She remembered Parker, a suave creep with soulful eyes. He'd used her and back then she wished he was dead. Now he was. It was horrible when death wasn't faceless, it was somebody you knew.

"Yes, Parker." said Riley. "He was stabbed, mauled and partially eaten."

"How partially?"

"Mostly the softer parts." replied Riley, checking his pad. "They found the remains of his left arm another ten meters that way." He pointed up the street.

"Oh God!" exclaimed Buffy. She took a breath and then looked up at her boyfriend. "How come you know all this anyway?"

"I still have connections." said the ex-Intiative soldier. "I thought you'd want all the facts."

The two lover smiled at each other across the blood stained street.

"Okay." said Buffy, getting back on track. "Now the thing came from that direction." She paced the path. The mist parted and she came nose to brick with a pastel painted wall. It stretched out into the haze at either side.

"Fine," she said, stumbling to a halt, "It came from a brick wall and headed that way." She pointed directly down the street. As she was pacing back along the road she turned back to stare at the wall. It was clouded in the mist and she couldn't make it out. Buffy felt a niggle of recognition for a moment, and then it was gone. She turned back to the trail of death.

…

"Why do all monsters equal books." sighed Xander, picking up the heavy brown tome placed before him.

"We could always try a summoning." said Anya.

"A summoning?" asked Xander, glad of the distraction.

"Yes, you summon a demon from the fires of hell, confine him, bind him and demand answers. They have to obey you, and then you banish them away when you're done."

"That sounds simple." said Xander, with a grin. He looked across at Willow. "Don't you think?"

"It sounds dangerous." muttered the red-head.

"Oh piffle." said Xander, "Getting severe eyestrain from all this reading is dangerous. I think we should give it a go."

"Rcnidjbi is a good one to call; knows all the inside scoop." suggested Anya. "All we need is to get his attention."

"And how do we do that?" asked an eager Xander.

"Well a good way is to roast a succession of live cats for four days. The screaming is quite indescribable."

"Oh God!"

"But that's not going to work. Not only is there the time limit, but we've only got the one cat."

"You can't roast Miss Kitty!" protested Willow horrified.

"Well maybe if we just roast her very slowly, she could last four days."

"Anya," snapped Willow. "That is not going to happen!"

"I'm only trying to help." sighed Anya. "I didn't think you'd want to perform an orgy of supplication. The cats are a more humane means of summoning him."

"Orgy?" asked Xander, is interest peaked.

"Look." interrupts Giles. "I'm sure we all agree summoning Rcnidjbi is out of the question; or any other demon for that matter. We are all just going to have to keep researching."

"Aw." moaned a disappointed Xander.

"Xander!" gasped Willow

"What?" he cried. "You know I hate all the reading."

"And there was me thinking you wanted all the sex." said Anya with a smirk.

Willow sighed and looked heavenward for a moment, trying to swallow her dislike of the ex-demon for Xander's sake. Then she turned back to the book before her, scanning the page for a stake wielding, flesh eating, super-fast demon.

…

The murderous trail led Buffy and Riley down a main street, through a few back alleys, out to the woods on the outskirts. The wood was silent and cool; the mist still hanging in the moist morning air.

"The last victim was found here." said Riley, "Mr Robert Patterson, 50, retiree. He was walking his dog." He pointed up to a nearby tree.

"I think I beginning to see the pattern." said Buffy, looking up at the high branches.

"Well you took your bloody time getting here." snapped an irritated voice.

They turned to see a familiar blonde demon coming towards them, clinging to the shadows.

"Spike." exclaimed Buffy. "What are you doing here?"

"Thought I'd help with your monster hunt." said the vampire with a shrug." We've been poking around looking for clues, waiting for the slayer to show up. And if I might add you're rather tardy."

"We?" asked Buffy.

Tara emerged from the mist and gave a nervous wave.

"Um. I think you might want to see this." She mumbled.

Buffy and Riley joined her. Spike was strutting beside them.

"I found it." he said hoping to impress.

Buffy just ignored him and concentrated on what Tara had to show her. The blonde witch was standing by a trail of rounded impressions in the mud.

"Hoof prints." said Riley, kneeling to get a closer look.

"What?" asked Buffy. "You mean cloven hoofed devil-demon type prints?"

"I think it looks more like a-a horse." said Tara with a shy smile.

"A bloody big horse." said Spike.

"A Hell-horse?" asked the slayer. "Or-or the demon was riding. You know chasing it's victims down on horseback. It would certainly give it the speed to get all the way across town in a few minutes."

"And the stabbings… that could be a lance or something." said Riley standing and examining their surroundings. "That sounds plausible. The trail continues in that direction." He said pointing to the left. "It seems to have slowed down when it got to the woods."

"So let's track it." said Spike taking the lead. They followed reluctantly.

"Are you alright?" asked Buffy, hanging back slightly to talk to Tara.

"I feel a bit foolish." She admitted. "I thought you'd all be out here."

"And Spike behaved himself?"

"He was fine." said the witch. "A perfect gentleman." Buffy eyed her doubtfully.

"Well compared to most of the men I've known, he was a gentleman." admitted Tara.

There was an awkward silence, as Buffy recalled her encounter with the men in Tara's family. The peace was broken by an unearthly screaming squeal that echoed round the group. They all froze.

"That didn't sound like any horse I know." muttered Riley, cautiously scanning the trees.

"Oh what is that?" gasped Buffy gagging as a revolting stench engulfed the clearing.

The scream sounded again, accompanied by the soft drumming of galloping hooves.

"What is it?" cried Buffy looking in every direction for the source of the noise.

Buffy glance back to see an amazing sight burst into the haze; a golden white and shimmering best glowing in the dappled sunlight. Buffy paused dumbfounded by the beauty of the creature, almost falling over her feet. She couldn't believe what she was seeing. She wasn't the only one, Tara and Riley were also mesmerised by the unicorn charging at them from out of the mist…


	2. Chapter 2

**The Dragon Slayer – Chapter 2**

"Bloody run then!" yelled Spike as he raced towards the group. The creature was fast catching up with him. The spellbound group found their wonder turn to horror as the beast impaled the vampire and threw him aside. Then it turned back, rearing and bucking; dancing around Spike's curled up form. It did not seem to know what to make of the injured vampire.

"Back away quietly." whispered Buffy, the spell broken. The three slowly stepped cautiously back into the cover of the trees. Not taking their eyes from the distant creature.

There was a sharp crack of a snapping twig. Buffy and Riley turned towards the sound; Tara looked guiltily at her foot.

"Sorry." She whispered.

Buffy looked back at the unicorn. It was staring directly at them. Then it let out a blood curdling squeal.

"Go,go,go!" cried Buffy, giving Riley a prompting shove and grabbing Tara's hand. They ran, Buffy dragging the blonde witch behind her as they headed for cover. The drumming hooves approaching behind them sounded very near. Tara cried out suddenly, as her hand was pulled from Buffy's grasp. The slayer turned back, slowing her pace to see Tara fallen among some tree roots. The unicorn galloped on, ignoring the prone witch, instead lowering its horn and aiming for Buffy's chest. The slayer tensed and performed an almighty somersault, clearing the beast as it thundered beneath her. She landed gently and spun to see the creature circling back towards her.

"Stay down." She called to Tara and raced after Riley, the unicorn close on her tail. Putting on an extra burst of slayer speed, she caught up with the ex-commando.

"You see that tree up ahead?" she gasped, "We are going to climb it, okay!"

All Riley could do was nod, he needed all his breath for running. The drumming hoof beats behind them sounded terribly close. Buffy slowed her pace slightly to give Riley a small head start. As Riley clambered up the trunk, a relieved Buffy launched herself into the branches. She then reached out a hand to help her boyfriend up the last few meters. The unicorn skidded to a halt at the base of the tree. It looked up at Riley's legs dangling just out of reach. It snorted and reared. Riley cried out as his calf was impaled by the creature's horn and he found himself being pulled from the branches. Buffy grabbed his wrists as his whole body twisted away from the tree and he was left swinging in open air. The Unicorn crashed back to the ground, snorting, and tensed to rear again. In a quick fluid motion Buffy pulled Riley up into the safety of the canopy, and out of the creatures reach. The beast screamed in anger. It reared and crashed it's hooves against the trunk, making the whole tree shake. It attacked the tree with fury, gouging out great chunks of bark.

"Now what?" asked Riley. He looked pale and shivery.

"I'm not sure." admitted Buffy. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." lied Riley, clutching his bleeding leg.

"Yeah right." Replied Buffy, not fooled for an instant. "Don't worry, I'll think of… What the hell is she doing?"

Buffy's train of thought was broken by Tara appearing a few meters from the crazed unicorn. The witch was muttering something to herself, and looking up at them in the tree.

"No Tara don't." cried Buffy, over the screaming unicorn. Tara looked directly into Buffy's eyes and turned determinedly to the unicorn.

"Hey!" shouted the witch, waving her arms. "Hey, hey, horsy, over here!"

The creature stopped its onslaught against the tree and stared at her, sniffing the air.

"Tara run!" screamed Buffy, but the witch was frozen to the spot. The unicorn looked back up at the slayer and Riley, and then walked to Tara. It didn't charge, it walked slowly and calmly towards the witch. Tara was still petrified with fear as the unicorn stopped by her side and sniffed her hair, the horn inches from her cheek. Tara swallowed, her heart pounding in her chest. She wasn't sure what was going on. This wasn't quite the outcome she expected. A horse lovers instinct kicked in, and Tara found herself patting the giant flank, and soothing the monster beside her. The unicorn was huge. Tara's head barely reached its shoulder.

"Um… I think it's safe to come down now." She called to the others, her nervousness making her voice catch in her throat.

Buffy's form appeared from behind the great beast, half supporting Riley as he limped on his wounded leg.

"Okay." Said Buffy, clearly shocked, "How d'you do that?"

All Tara could do was shrug, not having a clue why the unicorn was submissive beside her.

"Yeah, Yeah." moaned Spike staggering into the clearing, clearly batter but in one piece. "Don't worry about me! Only about mauled to bloody death! Look at this shirt." He cried pulling at the hole that went through his shirt and into his body, "Tape ain't gonna fix that!"

"But then again." muttered Buffy. "Why would we care."

"So I guess we've caught the killer." said Riley, grunting in pain as he shifted to get a better look at the creature. "What now? Do we call the zoo or the glue factory?"

"We should take it to Giles." said Buffy, then she looked at her boyfriend. "But we also need to get you to hospital."

"I'll be fine," he said with a false smile. "I'm a big boy."

"No." insisted Buffy; she looked at her motley group. "Spike, you take Riley to hospital and I'll go with Tara and the… um… unicorn."

"Hey I'm hurt as well," protested the demon. "Plus I don't fancy a terminal sun tan."

"Spike please." begged the slayer. "We need to sort this quickly."

Something in the demon melted.

"Yeah fine I'll do it." said Spike, "I'd still like to know how you're going to get that beast to Giles in broad daylight."

"I know a back way to the Magic Shop, via the cemetery. We just need to do this quickly while it's still early."

"Right, shall we go then mate, leave the ladies to it." said Spike taking Riley's weight and leading him away, "My car's just over the ridge."

Buffy watched them go.

"So let's get this thing to Giles." said the slayer and she patted the neck of the now passive beast. The unicorn turned towards her lunging its horn. Buffy's quick reflexes saved her from being skewered. As it was the point missed her by millimetres.

"I d-don't think you should do that again." stammered the timid witch.

"After you then." said Buffy, who was now several paces away and had no intention of getting any closer. She gestured to the path around the outskirts of Sunnydale, towards the east cemetery. Tara made a soft clicking sound at the back of her throat, and the great beast calmly followed her lead.

…

"Hey this is weird." said Spike, squinting through the darkened windscreen of his car, "Me saving your neck."

"Yeah." muttered Riley. He was hurt that Buffy had abandoned him; angry that he'd let her down again. The shy, lesbian witch had been more use than he had. Spike had been more help than he had.

"Hey cheer up." said the vampire, not without venom, "Soon have you all better for Buffy."

"Why are you doing this?" asked Riley

"Don't really know." said the vampire with a shrug.

"It's because she begged you isn't it."

"What can I say." smirked Spike, "I just love the fact the slayer owes me one."

"You're pathetic." snapped the ex-commando.

Spike stopped the car.

"And why should I care what you think!"

"The Big Bad." snorted Riley disdainfully, glaring back.

"There are vampires out there as pathetic they make me look like the devil himself." retorted Spike.

"I find that hard to believe."

"There are vampires that are human puppets. They bite for money; prostitute themselves. They don't hurt, they suckle like babies. Cheapens the whole thing. Disgusting!"

"Why would someone pay to bitten?" asked Riley incredulously.

"For the rush." explained the demon, "For the intoxication of your life slipping from you drop by drop. For the fire that burns from the pain. For the control over your own existence, life or death could depend on the next drop of blood. The sheer power of it!"

Spike revelled for a moment in fond memories, but then turns to the man beside him, it's a different world. He starts the car again.

"Right, let's get you to hospital before you fall down death. Don't want the slayer staking me now do we."

…

The Scoobies were still sat around the table in the Magic Box, still frustratingly not finding a clue. The bell above the door chimed and they looked up to see a grubby Buffy walk in.

"Have you got the keys to the double doors at the back." asked the slayer. Giles absentmindedly reached behind the counter. He was about to hand them over, then paused.

"Why?"

"Because we found the killer." said Buffy. "So Giles what do you know about unicorns?"

…

They stared at it. It wasn't the beautiful creature from the fairy tales. From a distance it was a golden shimmering beast. Up close, it was a steaming, insane monster. Its eyes were red and mad. It's skin, not golden, but the ingrained yellow of grease and dirt. The horn and muzzle was pink with blood. Its mane curled in matted tangles. It stank as well; the scent of the slaughter house, the stench of the sewer. It was hideous. But the monster was still and silent under Tara's touch.

"How is she doing that?" Buffy whispered cautiously, keeping her distance.

The creature was watching the Scooby gang with hungry eyes, twitching with every move.

"And why the hell did she bring it here?" cried the exasperated Xander. They were in the gym behind the Magic Box. The unicorn started at the sudden noise, and everyone took a step back.

"We couldn't leave it on the street." sighed Buffy. "Hello a bit conspicuous! But why can Tara control it?"

"Legend has it that virgin maidens can tame them." explained Giles, flicking through his book.

"Is that the only way?" Willow asked. She was at the very back of the room, as far from the beast as possible. It terrified her.

"I was paraphrasing, but yes!" Giles folded back the book in his hands. "Translating from the medieval German, _'The unicorn is a beast of great power. The legend sings of its defence of purity and virtue. The beast will fight all tainted by the seduction of man. Only a maid untouched by this seduction can tame the beast…' _There virgin."

"Giles are you sure?" asked Willow.

"Yes." said Giles. "This is a comprehensive guide to unicorns."

"So it told you they eat people?" interrupted Anya.

"Not in so many words." admitted Giles, "But it does warn of certain dangers."

"So you've never done it… with anyone? Xander asked, struggling to get other this sexual hurdle. "You're a virgin. You two have never… What have you been doing all this time?"

"Xander!" warns Willow.

"You're not a virgin are you?" asked Buffy.

Tara was turning red under the intense and very personal questioning.

"But you have to be!" said Giles, as he flicked back through the text in his hands.

"Not necessarily." said Tara quietly uncomfortable.

"Huh." grunted Xander, "You either are you aren't."

"Well that is me." Tara explained nervously, nodding towards the book. "If you take the words literally, I am untouched by… man." She gives a sideways look to Willow.

"Ye Gods!" exclaimed Xander, making the unicorn jump again.

They all freeze for a moment.

"Ye Gods." hissed Xander, again, "You've only been with… with…"

"…girls" finished Willow.

"Oh I get it." exclaimed Anya. "Who knew magical creatures were so choosy. The unicorn, a great big man-hater! Can be tamed by virgins and lesbians! Nice loophole!"

"Yes well." stammered Giles. "Well that is intriguing. It certainly puts a new perspective on an old legend."

"So-so how long do I have to stroke this thing?" asked Tara, her nose wrinkling. "It's not pleasant."

"I'm afraid until we find a way to get rid of it, you are the only person qualified." said Giles.

"We'll be quick as we can I promise." said Buffy. "You'll be alright?"

"I'm okay." assured Tara. "Well I will be." She looked meaningfully at the steaming monster calmly nuzzling her neck.

"We'd better get researching." said Giles. "See what we can find." The group moved into the main body of the shop. Willow hung back. She lingered at the door looking from Tara to the great beast at her side.

"You'll be alright?" she asked.

"Just find something quickly." said Tara with a nervous smile. "Before it gets hungry or something." Tara paused and frowned at her girlfriend's nervous expression. "Are you okay?"

"Hey you know me." said Willow trying to be playful, "I have nightmares with a capital 'M'."

"Willow." said Tara, a touch of worry in her voice. "If there was any other way…"

" I'm fine." reassured the red-head, "So can I get you anything before I go? Nose plugs maybe?"

…

"Oh fresh air." gasped Buffy, taking deep breaths.

"I've smelt worse." said Anya, "Coric demons excrete…"

"No thanks." said Xander. "I'm still trying not to barf. Urg, that was bad!"

"So where do we start?" asked Anya, calmly putting the derailed conversation back on track.

"I'm not sure." said Giles flicking through the Germanic book he held. "It was probably summoned by a portal spell!"

"Someone called that thing on purpose?" asked Willow emerging from the back.

"We'll find them and stop them." said Buffy. "Don't worry."

"Don't worry!" sighed Willow, "That's easy for you to say. Your girlfriend isn't alone with some giant murderous arm-eating pony!"

"True." admitted Buffy, she turned the Giles "Who could have called it?"

"Someone who likes unicorn?" pondered Xander.

"Harmony!" gasped Buffy. "She… she collected unicorns, could she have called it to try and kill me?"

"Possibly." said Giles, although not convinced.

"But." continued Buffy, "That would be an intelligent plan so probably not."

"So who?"

"Someone with a grudge against non man-virgins." offered Xander.

"Or," said Willow, looking over Giles shoulder at the ingredients of the spell, "Someone who doesn't have a clue what she's doing."

"I thought we'd ruled out Harmony." joked Xander.

"Willow?" asked Buffy, ignoring the comment. "You have an idea who did this?"

"Yes." said Willow, "A certain flowery witch, who brought a clear quartz crystal and lizard blood."

"Then we go find the witch and kick her butt." cried Xander. "Where is she?"

"Somewhere on campus."

Willow flipped open her laptop and started to flick through the U.C.S.D. student directory.

"Lisa, Lisa, Lisa?"

…

Lisa hated Sunnydale. She'd come miles to go to college and had ended up in a tiny dead-end town. She'd made friends when she arrived, lots of friends. There weren't many left now. Two friends had disappeared in the first week; just packed up and left without a word. Her boyfriend James then got his heart ripped out during the laryngitis fluke. Trent had been cut up at some frat earthquake party and Karen had been mauled a few months later. To be honest Lisa really hadn't wanted to come back the second year. The trouble was dad had been so proud when she'd gotten into college and she couldn't bear to disappoint him. Sunnydale despite the name was a dark and evil place. There was no real magic. Lisa was determined to put that right.

Lisa sat before the magic circle drawn on the floor. The first part of the spell had succeeded, she'd felt it. A little good had been let into this dark world. She'd watched the news that night, only to find more tales of horror and loss. Not a sign of the goodness she had released. Well let's see this no good town ignore the magic after today. By evening Sunnydale was going to be a very different place.

…

"Lisa, Lisa, Lisa?" said Willow a minute later. "Do you know there are only sixty-eight Lisas on campus?"

"Can you narrow it down?" asked Buffy.

"Well I could try and cross reference if I knew some of her courses, but I'm not even sure which year she's in."

"You know something," said Buffy, thinking back to her brief glimpse of the girl, when she came into the store. "I think she might be in my European History class."

"Well that will help!" said Willow typing animatedly. "Lisa Hartman; Lisa Short." She said coming up with two possibilities.

"Well it isn't Shorty." said Buffy, "She's my note lending buddy."

"Hartman." said Willow, pulling the file. "Benson Hall. That's near Lowell House isn't it?"

"And you know," added Buffy, "The first killing was near Lowell House."

"Let's go get Lisa." said Xander.

The whole group got up to leave.

"Shouldn't someone stay with Tara?" asked Willow looking back towards the gym.

"Look Willow, you have to come." said Buffy, "You're our team magic user. We might need you."

"I'll stay with her." offered Anya. "I don't mind missing a great trek across town. Not in these shoes. We can bond, two Scooby girlfriends together."

Willow looked unsure but Buffy didn't give her any time to reconsider.

"Fine." she said, "That's settled lets go."

…

The Scooby gang marched across campus towards Benson House. It seemed strange, confronting a big evil in broad daylight. But the girl needed stopping and putting straight. They passed Lowell House and followed the path past the giant mural. It was pretty tasteless, done by some famous eighties children's illustrator.

"Cool," said Willow, gazing up at it. "I've always loved this. My mom used to take me here to look at it when I was little. I used to make up all kinds of stories… and hey! Where's the uni…"

Giles wasn't really listening to Willow's babble but the pause stopped him.

"Unicorn." He finished," There is a unicorn missing from the mural?"

"Yeah!" said Xander, scanning the painted scene. "I'm pretty sure there was one on the hill by the ocean."

Buffy gasped.

"It came from the picture!"

"We don't know that for certain." said Giles.

"No." insisted Buffy, pointing down the street to the police tape a few feet away. "It came from the picture."

"Well that makes things more complicated." admitted Giles. He looked nervously at the fairies, mermaids and other magical creatures adorning the wall. "We need to find this girl before she does something really stupid, and fast."

The whole group eyed the picture, taking in the giant and the great red dragon, and then set off on a brisk pace to Benson House.

…

Lisa raised her arms and chanted the last of the spell. She felt a warm glow inside that indicated the spell was almost complete. A breeze that was slowly building pulled at her hair.

"Be free!" she yelled at the wind that now howled around the sand circle, "Be free of your bonds!"

Then the room was completely still. She had done it. The spell was complete.

…

"Look out!" screamed Buffy as a great wave of water fell from the mural. She found herself swept away by the wave, caught up in the current. Buffy struggled to hold her breath as she fell tumbling over and over. Her shoulder struck something and she grabbed it; a lamp post. She kept her grip until the tide subsided. Buffy blinked the water from her eyes, and looked back at the mural in time to see the dragon rip itself from the wall. With a few solid wing beats it lifted up into the Sunnydale sky. It's crimson bat like wings propelling it over the campus. Buffy gazed open mouthed. She stood stunned, multi-coloured fish flopping and splashing in puddles unnoticed at her feet. Buffy stood in the middle of a field of disaster. Cars were upturned, people were screaming and of the rest of the gang there was no sign. Soaring gracefully above the streets, the dragon roared, and a fireball exploded just beyond the skyline. Judging it to be the greatest threat, Buffy raced after the great red dragon.


	3. Chapter 3

The Dragon Slayer – Chapter 3

Xander grabbed the hand that brushed against his as the surge of water hit him. He held tight to who he though was Willow, until the water dropped him onto the grass. When he looked up, it was into a soft green eyed face, framed in soft green hair. The face contorted into a hiss, and sharp teeth gnashed inches from his nose. Xander scrambled to get away but found his hand still clamped into a tight grip. The green skinned mermaid, held tight as she thrashed and gulping like the suffocating fish that littered the ground. She was hideous to look at, like the unicorn. Not some misty eyed fantasy, but something very real, and very wrong. The child sized creature's full bosom heaved, struggling for breath, its finely scaled, shiny, slimy, fish tail hammering at the mud. She was dying. Not quite sure what possessed him, Xander scooped up the thrashing, hissing creature and carried her towards the fountain pond, barely meters away.

…

Willow froze to see the wall of water fall from the painting before her, engulfing her friends. She screamed as the torrent swept passed her, but left her untouched. As the water subsided to a wide river, Willow looked across to see Giles standing, untouched, on the other side.

"Find Lisa!" called Willow, as he was on the right side of the river. "We have to stop this!"

"Right." said the watcher nodding, distractedly watching the wave of destruction caused by the water still gushing from the mural. "What about the others?"

"I'll find them." said Willow sharing his concern, "When the water subsides."

Giles nodded.

"Take care." He called and dashed the dorm house to find Lisa.

Willow looked apprehensively at the mural beside her. A soft musical giggle drew her attention. A fluttering ball of light flit from the painting, a fairy. Willow squinted to get a better look as the being floating inches from her face. It was slender humanoid figure with dragonfly wings; naked and unnaturally thin. As it swept closer, she also noticed it didn't have proper eyes, more like the compound eyes of a fly. Willow gasped at the ugliness of the thing. The fairy mimicked her gasp and then let out another giggle, sweeping every closer. Willow tried to swat it away. It grabbed her passing hand and clung on, wrapping its arms and legs around her fingers. Then with a smile it sank in its teeth. Willow yelped, horrified, backing off, trying to shake the thing lose. There was another soft musical laugh and Willow turned to find a fairy crawling over her shoulder. Another flew past, grabbing her hair and pulled it hard. She looked down, more were crawling up her legs. Willow screamed and ran, shaking herself trying to get the tiny beings off.

…

"Well it doesn't do much does it?" said Anya.

The unicorn hadn't left Tara's side. It seemed content to stand at her shoulder.

"Nothing is better than a killing spree." said the blonde witch.

"Maybe."

"I just wish knew what to do with it." said Tara as the unicorn playfully butted the back of her head. "I mean do we feed it; does it drink."

"It's probably eaten enough." said the ex-demon.

"Don't." begged Tara, not liking the reminder that the creature beside her was a killer.

"Let's see what the book says." said Anya, picking up Giles' discarded volume.

"But it's in Medieval German." said Tara.

"And in my demon days I spent quite a bit of time in Germania." replied Anya.

"Oh."

"Well it was a hundred and few years ago and admittedly I wasn't much of a reader then, but I'm sure I can manage."

She flicked through the pages.

"That settles it." sighed Anya. "Giles is a big faker."

"What?"

"This book has one chapter on unicorns, definitive work my eye. Most of this book is about knights in armour and dragon slayers. Just wait until I…"

"Guys?" called a young voice cutting Anya off.

"Dawn." gasped Tara.

Anya hurried out of the room to intercept the slayers little sister.

"Little girl." She exclaimed, with a false smile. "What do you want?"

Dawn looked a bit upset to find Anya there.

"Schools out." said the teenager, "I came to hang."

"Buffy isn't here." said Anya flatly, "You should go home."

Dawn pouted,

"Why do you always treat me like a baby?"

"Because you are."

"What is that funky smell?" Dawn asked ignoring her.

Anya sighed,

"Look there is only me and Tara here so if you…"

"Tara!" said Dawn, her eyes lighting up. "Is she in the back?"

"Look you shouldn't… actually it's probably quite safe for you to go back there." said the ex-demon changing her mind. "After you, and don't scream or you'll scare it."

"It?"

Dawn's eyes went very wide and her jaw dropped when she saw the unicorn.

"Wow!" gasped the teenager.

"Don't come too close." warned Tara.

"She'll be safe." said Anya. "If you think about it she's better qualified than you."

"Oh yes!" said Tara, smiling an embarrassed smile. "Although," she added, "I wouldn't come too close because of the smell."

Dawn took two cautious steps closer. The unicorn jolted suddenly and backed up from the approaching teenager. Tara looked at the creature, its haunches were quivering, something was definitely wrong.

"Dawn back off slowly." said the witch softly, not taking her eyes from the beast.

"What's wrong?" asked the child.

"I-I think you're scaring it."

"Yeah right." smirked Anya.

Dawn turned back to the ex-demon. The head movement was enough to make the startled creature rear and scream. Dawn ran to the back of the room, as Tara tried to keep the jittery monster calm.

"Okay, now that shouldn't have happened." said Anya. With a frown, she licked her finger and turned the pages of Giles' book.

"Um… I think you two should probably wait in the other room and… and… I'll wait here." suggested Tara.

…

Lisa had just finished sweeping up the last of the sand, when the knock sounded on her door. There was a man standing in the hallway. He looked familiar but she couldn't place him.

"Lisa Hartman?" he asked peering at her over his glasses.

"Yeah." She replied, trying to work out if he was one of her lecturers.

"I need to talk to you about some dangerous spells you've been casting."

"Spells!" gasped Lisa, she recognised him now. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"Can I come in." he asked. Lisa backed off and allowed him into her room, the intense look in his eyes scaring her slightly.

"You run the magic shop." said Lisa.

"I do, and your spell has put my friends in danger and I want you to stop it now."

"But it's harmless." protested Lisa.

"Harmless." snapped the man. "It's clear you don't have a clue what you've done. Take a look out of your window and see the chaos you've created." With that he pulled aside the curtain and looked out at the courtyard. The mural opposite was bulging and swollen, as creatures escaped from it. The flooded street looked like a scene from a disaster movie.

"It's harmless." She muttered again, not believing what she was seeing.

"Characters in fairy stories are never harmless. Magical creatures always harbour some evil." said the magic shop owner, scowling, "Fairies! What are they famous for?"

"They help people, and they're pretty." said Lisa frowning.

"Have you ever seen one? They steal babies and leave changelings in their place, they steal everything. And what are mermaids famous for?" He didn't give her a chance to answer. "Drowning sailors at sea; luring them onto the rocks with their siren song. Giants eat people, elves steal cattle, leprechauns trick and dragons are not famed for being soft and cuddly. You have no idea what you have done. What you've unleashed. You have no idea of the anguish and pain that will come of this. The unicorn alone is responsible for twelve deaths. I don't know why you did this, what you thought you would achieve. But I do know this, whatever your intentions all you've caused is devastation."

Lisa swallowed, every word sinking painfully in.

"What should I do?"

"Reverse the spell." He said flatly.

"I'm not sure I can."

"Then stop what's left." He said.

A giant was pushing out of the mural. The wall bulging like it would burst. Lisa took a deep breath and shut her eyes.

"Be bound!" she cried drawing in the magics still hanging in her room. She screamed over the silence and a wind picked up. The wind was soon whipping around them. "Be bound in your place!"

A chill descended on the room and spread slowly outwards into the courtyard. The chill brought with it a rolling cloud of mist. Across the way the roaring giant was pulled back into the mural, it was fighting to escape. The mural gradually stopped bulging and settled back to being a flat wall.

"It's done." said Lisa quietly.

"But not soon enough." said the man as the silhouette of a dragon briefly shadowed the courtyard.

…

Willow screamed and fell to the ground, thrashing and rolling, totally freaked. The delicate forms of the fairies, that nipped, bit and scratched, became crushed under her body. Willow gulped for air as she scrambled back to her feet. She pulled the last creature from her hair, threw it to the ground and stamped on it. Making sure it was dead.

"Oh Goddess." She gasped, her heart rate slowly returning to normal. She smiled with relief and looked up. Not far away a familiar form gazed back, a monster from her worst nightmares, a unicorn, another unicorn. It snorted and pawed at the ground.

"Damn it!"

The unicorn screeched and Willow clamped her hands over her ears and tensed to run. Sudden to her left a red 4x4 appeared, horn blaring. This intrusion startled the unicorn and to took a few jitter steps back.

"Willow, get in!" yelled Giles opening the near door. She didn't need to be told twice.

"Got her." called Giles and Lisa put her foot down. The Unicorn gave chase.

"Where to now?" asked Lisa, swerving to avoid the overturned cars and debris that littered the road after the flood.

"The magic shop." said Giles, "We have a secret weapon."

"Great." muttered Lisa. She did a U-turn, the back wheels skidding slightly on the slick wet tarmac and drove down a side alley.

"Thanks." said Willow finally getting her breath back.

"We're not out of the woods yet." said Giles looking up as the dragon's shadow passed over. Lisa looked in the wing mirror and saw the unicorn still determinedly on their tail. She laughed.

"What's so funny?" asked Willow with a scowl.

"I just feel like I'm reliving that scene in Jurassic Park. You know objects in the mirror may appear closer…"

There was a bump as the beast rammed the car.

"I think that's close enough." said Willow.

There was another thump.

"Go faster!" cried Giles.

"It's okay." said Lisa, taking the corner at speed, "We're almost there."

The car sped out of the alley onto the main street. Then Lisa drove up the kerb and the car screeched to a halt in front of the store.

"Get out, Get out!" insisted Giles the unicorn was not far behind. They clambered from the vehicle and made a frantic dash to the relative safety of the Magic Box. Giles slammed the door behind them and turned to find Anya and Dawn looking bewildered.

"Take cover!" he ordered.

The unicorn chose that moment to explode through the window. Glass rained down everywhere. Anya almost threw Dawn over the counter and then leaped around to join her. Willow tried to push Lisa deeper into the shop, but they both ended up tumbling down the steps. Giles stood frozen, his back still to the door. The creature turned its focus on the two women sprawled on the floor. It screamed and reared…

**I am trying desperately to finish this story before I go away for two weeks, but I don't think I can.**

**Sorry to leave you on a cliff hanger.**


	4. Chapter 4

**The Dragon Slayer – chapter 4**

"No Horsey!" cried a soft faltering voice.

The unicorn stamped back to the ground. Its hooves crashing down inches from Willow's skull.

"Come here." The soft voice commanded.

The unicorn snorted disdainfully at the two prone girls and then trotted slowly to Tara's side. The blonde distractedly patted the beast's neck.

"Good horsey."

She glanced over to Willow making sure the red-head was alright. Willow sat up and smiled back at her girlfriend's concerned gaze.

"Thanks for the rescue." she squeaked, her voice tight from nerves.

"Any time." said Tara, relieved. She then checked behind her to make sure the other unicorn was still at her shoulder. It rubbed it's blood stained muzzle on her back in response.

"Well this is nice." said Anya, emerging from behind the counter. "We're getting a collection."

"Let me see?" begged Dawn.

"You stay there." insisted Anya. "You know you're not safe around them."

"What?" asked Giles finally stepping away from the door and trying to ignore the extensive damage to his shop.

"The unicorn was scared of her." explained Anya.

"Really." said Giles. "That's fascinating, it's probably because…" He stopped realising he was saying something he shouldn't. "But-but I'm afraid that's beside the point. These unicorns are just the tip of a very dangerous iceberg. There's a dragon on the loose."

"Plus some very scary fairies." added Willow.

"And God knows what else was released?"

…

Xander lowered the wriggling form of the mermaid into the fountain basin. She froze for a moment, getting used to being back in the water, then she blew happy bubbles. Xander felt his hand released and the mermaid pushed herself off, rather awkwardly in the shallow water. She paused when she came to the concrete wall of the pond. Xander watched as the green skinned creature followed the tiled sides all the way around. Her eyes grew wide, and she gave a sharp melodious chirp. Xander realised she was scared.

"I'm sorry." he said, as the creature looked up at him, with her soft green gaze. "It's the best I can do."

The mermaid splashed a wave of water over the still damp Xander, with an angry flick of her tail. Then she sank sadly to the bottom of the shallow pool. Xander shook the worst of the water off and looked guiltily at the sorrowful creature. He glanced back along the street. The beach was only a few miles away. If only there was a way…

…

"We need to find Buffy." said Willow, "And Xander."

"I'm sure he's fine and Buffy is most likely on the trail of the biggest threat." said Giles trying to be reassuring.

"So you're saying." said Anya. "We find the dragon, we'll find Buffy."

"Cool, can I come?" asked Dawn, still ducked down behind the counter.

"No!" said all the Scoobies with varying degrees of intensity.

"Right." said Anya. "Let's find the dragon. It shouldn't be too hard to spot."

"Anya, I think you should stay here with Dawn." said Giles, getting some equipment from a weapons locker. "Wait for Xander to show up." He turned to Lisa, "You should stay here too, its safer than the streets for the moment."

Lisa nodded guiltily. She was confused. Everything she thought was good was bad, and everything she thought was evil was saving her life.

"I'm sorry." she said.

"You'll be more careful in future."

"I should come with you." said a quiet voice from the back of the shop.

"Tara." protested Willow. "It's going to be dangerous."

"And what if there are more unicorns out there?" said the witch seriously.

Willow looked nervously at the giant monsters by her girlfriend's side. The resent chase flashed through her mind.

"She should come with." agreed Willow.

"What about them?" asked Giles pointing at the unicorns. "We can't leave them here."

"I thought we could take them with us." said the blonde.

"That's hardly low profile." He pointed out.

"What?" asked Anya." You think with a damn great lizard flying through the Sunnydale skies, people are going to bat an eyelid at two horses with horns."

"Come on!" insisted Willow. "We're wasting time."

"I'll meet you around the front." said Tara, clicking in the back of her throat and moving towards the back exit. The two monsters calmly following her lead.

Dawn hears the bell over the door chime as the others leave.

"Can I come out now?" she asked from behind the counter. Anya considered saying no, just for the hell of it.

…

Giles squinted up at the shape in the sky. He looked quite the knight, with a vast shield strapped to his back and a sheaved long sword in his grasp.

"It seems to be circling mainly over the campus." He observed.

"Then that's where Buffy is." said Willow, as they headed up the main street. They walked in an unusual crocodile. Giles taking the lead tooled up for a crusade; Willow hanging in the middle and Tara following far behind, shepherding the unicorns on. Willow glanced behind to make sure Tara was okay. The blonde was calmly strolling a few meters behind, and gave Willow a warm smile.

"We're right behind you." she called. Willow returned the smile, trying not to look too hard at the unicorns, they still terrified her.

…

Xander scanned the flood wreckage for something he could use; some way of transporting the mermaid. A medium sized trailer caught his eye. It was twisted slightly on its side, the contents and tarpaulin cover thrown off onto the grass. The trailer looked large enough to hold the mermaid and it was still attached to a car. As he got closer he noticed a pool of water still being held in the corner and a small rainbow fish swimming in it. This was a good sign that the trailer was water tight. Xander was also delighted to find that the car had its driverside door wide open and the keys still in the ignition. The owner must have fled the scene, along with everyone else in the street. This was his lucky day.

…

"BUFFY!" yelled Giles.

He could see the slayer perched on the roof of the gymnasium, scanning the sky. She turned at the sound of her name and waved down to the two dots in the courtyard below.

"…be…rye…eyes." she replied, her voice being lost in the wind.

"WHAT?" called Giles.

Buffy clambered gracefully down a drainpipe, stepped onto the concrete porch and dropped gently to the ground beside her friends.

"I said - I'll be right down guys." said the slayer barely out of breath.

"I brought weapons." said Giles, slipping the shield from his back. "Did you see much?"

"Well you can see my street from up there." said Buffy.

"And the dragon?" asked Giles with little patience.

"I don't know." explained Buffy, trying the sword out for size with a few experimental flourishes. "It seems to be flying around. Like it's looking for something or… something. I mean there have been a few fireballs, but no people eating. It's just flapping around in circles."

"So what can it be looking for?" asked Giles a frown wrinkling his brow.

"You got me." said Buffy with a shrug. She looked up as Tara entered the courtyard the two golden monsters close behind. "Hey you got another one!"

"Yeah." said Willow. "One came after me, after the flood and the fairies."

"But you're okay." asked Buffy suddenly concerned for her friend.

"I'm fine, I'll just be glad when this is all over." confided Willow.

"Well this can't be good." said Giles staring at the sky.

"What?" asked Willow and Buffy together.

"The dragon's getting closer!"

Willow looked worried, but Buffy didn't seem concerned.

"Is that all? Don't worry it will just pass over. Although watch out for the down draft. One gust almost knocked me off the roof the first time it flew past."

"But what can it want." asked a puzzled Giles. "What do dragons want?"

"Some lusty virgin tied to a stake." joked Willow, following Giles' gaze. The threesome froze when they realised what she'd just said. As one they turned to Tara, standing exposed in the open courtyard.

"Get under cover!" cried Giles animatedly waving his arms.

"TARA!" screamed Willow.

"Wh..?"

Buffy didn't say a word. She raced across the gap and grabbed the witch by the arm; ducking beneath the unicorns, ignoring their angry snorts as they cantered behind her. She dragged Tara to the relative safety of the library porch. Tara was confused but knew she had to keep the unicorns restrained. Buffy quickly moved away to give her the space she needed to calm the monsters under her thrall. Willow and Giles joined Buffy.

"It's gone over." reported Willow.

"W-would someone tell me what's going on?" asked Tara as she first stroked the now passive unicorns and then rubbed her wrenched shoulder.

"The dragon is looking for something." explained Buffy.

"What?" laughed the witch, "Me?"

"Maybe." said Giles, "Willow made a comment about virgins and she was right. The virgin victim is pretty much an intrinsic part of all European dragon legends."

"But I'm not!" protested Tara, slightly frustrated.

"Um… we know." said Giles, turning a little red behind the ears as he gestured to the unicorns. "But the… er… same loophole may apply."

***I found time between packing to write one more, quick chapter.**

**The next instalment will be in two weeks time.**

**I hope you can wait.* **


	5. Chapter 5

**The Dragon Slayer - Chapter 6**

**I'm back – hope this was worth the wait.**

"Well it's not going to land." said Willow, watching the monstrous winged lizard fly past, for the third time.

"You need bait, don't you." said Tara softly. She was lent against the door, still obscured from the dragon by the porch. The unicorns were gently nuzzling her and nipping her hair.

"No!" exclaimed Willow, realising Tara was offering herself as said bait. "Tara, no!"

But the look on Buffy and Giles' faces showed they were thinking the same thing as Tara.

"No!" insisted Willow, fearful for Tara's safety.

"If we could get it on the ground we can fight it." explained Buffy.

"No!" said Willow

"It could be our only chance to draw it out." added Giles.

"No!"

"I'll protect her." reassured Buffy, "I won't let anything happen to her."

"No!" begged Willow, not understanding why no one could see her point of view.

"Willow." said the blonde witch taking her shoulders. "I want to help."

"But," insisted Willow, "It's not like its hurt anyone."

"Just set a few fires." finished Buffy.

"Exactly… it… it…"

Willow turned to stare into her girlfriends eyes.

"Yes!" prompted Tara.

Willow couldn't miss the pleading look on her girlfriends face.

"Okay." said Willow quietly.

"We don't even know if it will work." admitted Giles. "This is all conjecture."

"It will land." said Buffy with more certainty than she felt.

"Um…" said Tara raising her hand, "I get it to land, then what?"

"I'll kill it." said Buffy simply, the sword balanced in her grasp, shield held on her arm. "Are we ready?"

"So where do you want me?" asked the blonde witch.

"I think here is as good a place as any." said Buffy looking around the courtyard. "It's enclosed. There is nobody about. I think here is good."

"So I just…?"

"Stand out there and try to look like a lusty virgin." completed Buffy.

Tara smiled a nervous smile.

"I'll do my best."

Tara walked slowly into the courtyard, half glancing at the sky. The two unicorns kept close to her side.

Buffy adjusted her shield slightly and glanced at her two friends nervously scanning for the dragon.

"You guys should take some serious cover." she advised.

Willow was about to protest but Giles reassured her.

"We'll hide down here" he said pointing to a sunken stairwell just to the right. "That way we can still be around if we're needed."

Willow didn't say anything but she allowed herself to be led away.

"Now we see if this works!" said Buffy, watching the red dot circle closer.

…

"Damn." swore Xander.

Now he had righted the trailer he could see it wasn't water tight. What had been a pool of water, now poured through the back flap, soaking his shoes. Time for plan B. He scanned the street for something to hold water so he could take the mermaid to safety. He could hear her now, singing sweetly and sadly in the fountain pool. He sighed and splashed back across the fallen tarpaulin and stepped up to scan the road. Maybe luck wasn't with him. He couldn't see anything that could help. It was hopeless.

_"Hang on a sec!"_ commanded the voice in his head that paid attention.

"What?"

Then he got it.

"Tarpaulin." He cried, "The tarpaulin, the damn tarpaulin!" He shifted the junk from the sheet and pulled it over the trailer. The water just rolled off it. Now if there were no holes there was hope.

…

Lisa looked up at her new companions. Together they had cleared away the wreckage left by the second unicorn. Now Lisa sat swinging her heels and feeling awful about everything she'd done. She watched the other two girls while they totally ignored her. The young girl, Dawn, was doing her home work at the round table in the middle of the shop. The shop assistant, Anya, was busy restocking the shelves. In fact they were acting like everything was normal. Acting like today was just like any other day, which was stupid. Lisa couldn't stand it; just sitting doing nothing when there was so much damage and pain out there. Pain she'd caused. She felt she had to do something to help. No one tried to stop her when she got up and left. No one noticed.

…

Tara was feeling rather nervous and very exposed standing in the centre of the courtyard. The two unicorns, whose presence she was getting used to, stayed close to her side. They were passive and attentive, although she felt they knew something was up. Their giant horse bodies dwarfed her and blocked her view of the porch. She couldn't see Buffy or any of the others. The isolation and the unreal nature of the moment slowly sank in. Tara squinted up at the sky again but the sun blinded her. She sighed and turned her attention to the two monsters in her charge. She put her faith in Buffy. If Willow could trust the slayer with her life, so could she.

...

From the shelter of the sunken stairs Willow watched as her girlfriend calmly talked to the unicorns snuffling at her cheek. From this distance they became the beautiful creatures of legend, but Willow had been close enough not to be fooled. The one that Tara was gently petting still had a muzzle pink with blood.

"Here it comes." cried Giles, pointing above the gym. Willow jaw dropped when the dragon flew overhead. Its hide was glowing, its enormous crimson wings beating up great gusts of wind.

"It's huge." gasped Giles, "I had no idea."

"How can it fly?" asked Willow in shock, "How can it fly?"

The dragon was enormous up close. It shadowed the whole courtyard as it passed. Willow could see the underbelly of the dragon as it soared over head. Her eyes were drawn to the four taloned claws pulled up under its body.

An unearthly squealing drew her attention back to the unicorns. They were wild! Rearing and bucking; screaming after the dragon. Tara was getting up from the ground after having been floored by a down draft. Willow searched for Buffy. The slayer was crouched behind her shield across from the porch, creeping closer to Tara. She was staring wide eyed at the scaly spiked tail that clipped the gym roof where she'd been standing moments before.

"It's coming back!" yelled Giles by Willow's shoulder.

The dragon was directly overhead. It hovered over the courtyard almost gracefully. It hovered over Tara. Each steady beat of its wings sent up great clouds of dust. Soon coughing and spluttering Willow could see nothing. She felt rather than saw the monster land. The ground shook.

"TARA!" screamed Willow.

…

Lisa walked away from the Magic Box. She walked back though the alley that the unicorn had chased them through. She was going back to the ruined street. She froze when she saw the devastation. The whole area was deserted, except for a few lonely figures and a sprawl of wreckage. In the distance Lisa could see a man carrying what looked like an injured child to his trailer. He was across the courtyard by the fountain. Lisa saw an opportunity to do some real good. She was about to set off when she heard a voice by her shoulder.

"Look at all this wreckage." gasped a female voice. "Who could have done this?"

"Me." sighed Lisa under her breath.

"Wow!" exclaimed the voice. "You did this! I mean look at all this, the pain, the death, the suffering. Like… wow!"

Lisa spun around, shocked to have been heard. The speaker, an attractive brunette, smiled back. The smile unnerved her almost as much as the woman's eager tone.

"You do good work." continued the woman. "I especially like the dead little fishes, adds colour and aroma. Just beautiful! But I bet you didn't mean to do it am I right? It was all a mistake. You want it all fixed and all better. Boo hoo!" mimicked the woman childishly rubbing fake tears from her eyes, before her face contorted to a look of disgust. "Human's! They are capable of such destruction and then blow it by feeling bad about it afterwards." The woman suddenly looked eager again. "Well me, I can't feel bad! Do you know how all this destruction makes me feel?"

"No." squeaked Lisa suddenly terrified.

"Hungry!" said the woman in the red dress. "I need a brain to eat!"

Lisa took a step back.

"Oh don't worry." soothed the woman, grasping Lisa's forehead. "It will only hurt."

Lisa screamed until she wasn't there anymore.

…

Tara felt the ground shake and heard Willow scream. The unicorns were dancing agitated at either side of her. They snorted at the cloud of dust that billowed around them.

"Don't move." hissed the slayer, from somewhere in front of her. Tara was too petrified to respond; in fact she didn't think she could move even if she had to. She just stood, waiting for what was to come. As the dust settled all she could see was a wall of red scales. Swallowing nervously Tara looked up and up and up to the lizard head that towered over her. She tried not to look too hard at the sharp knife-like teeth. The unicorn, still beside her, cowered slightly under the great yellow eyes that regarded them. Tara felt her whole body quaking; she had never been so scared in her whole life, not even when Donnie had come at her with a baseball bat. She just prayed this wouldn't hurt as much. The dragon lowered its head to get a better look, sniffing the air. Its breath was baking. Like standing too close to a furnace. As it exhaled Tara felt like she was going to melt.

"Okay Buffy." she muttered. "Now would be good."

…

Buffy regarded the mountain of monster that crouched before her. The sword in her hand might as well be a toothpick. It was ridiculous, this thing was huge! This was thing was about to eat Tara! She felt like an ant fighting an elephant.

"Okay! Now how do I do this exactly" said Buffy urgently to herself. "I need a plan! How would an ant fight an elephant?" then the answer came to her. "It would get under its skin!"

Buffy put the sword back in its sheath and stalked closer. When she reached the dragon's tail she prodded the scales experimentally. Nothing happened. She kicked the hide as hard as she could. Not a twitch. The dragon was obviously very thick skinned.

"This is going to work." She muttered under her breath.

Buffy adjusted the shield on her arm, took a step back and ran. She ran along the tail and up onto the dragon's broad back. As she slipped pasted the folded wings, she noticed the dragon's head lowered to regard Tara. She could see the blonde starring down the monster. There might not be much time. The slayer increased her pace until she reached the desired spot at the base of the creature's neck. She just hoped the sword was long enough to sever the spinal cord.

Buffy drew the sword again. She held it aloft briefly before plunging in into the dragon's neck. At least that was the plan. Instead the blade skidded pathetically over the tight scales, not even leaving a mark. Buffy needed a new plan and fast; if she could pry apart the scales that would give her access. Always one for thinking on her feet, Buffy pulled off the shield, pushed the point under the nearest scale and used it to lever open a gap.

The dragon roared. It was loud! Windows shattered into the courtyard. Buffy's ears rang, but she didn't have time to worry about that. The dragon knew she was there. It rocked and writhed, twisting its sinewy neck to try and get a look at her. The slayer stabbed the sword deep into the gap between the scales. The dragon bucked in pain. Buffy clung to the embedded sword, but the shield fell away as the dragon spun to dislodge her.

…

Willow and Giles had watched Buffy's brave climb but now they had to watch horrified as the dragon bucked and hissed as the slayer hung on for grim death.

Giles never took his eyes off Buffy, but Willow was more concerned about her girlfriend. She watched as Tara staggered away from the rage filled dance. Time slowed for Willow as she watched the dragon twist savagely. The tail lashed and Tara was caught directly in its path. When it struck the witch was sent tumbling in the air like a rag-doll. She smacked down several feet away and rolled a few yards.

"NO!" screamed Willow.

Giles grabbed her as she tried to run to her girlfriend. He held her tight and wouldn't let go.

"TARA!" screamed Willow.

Giles clung guiltily to the red-head. He starred at the blonde witch lying terribly still but then something caught his eye. If Willow was upset about what had happened to Tara, then so were the unicorns. Their screams joined Willow's and heads lowered they charged at the dragon. The dragon spun again, this time in response to the sharp horn that tore into its vulnerable belly. The pink muzzled unicorn relentlessly stabbed into the monster's flesh twisting its head to drive the horn in deeper. The dragon tried to hop back away from this new attack. The second unicorn reared and kicked its legs against the dragon's side, catching its folded wings. The thin delicate skin tore easily under its sharp horns. Blood poured down the dragons flank. The unicorn under the belly skipped back as the dragon rolled onto its stomach. Fluidly the dragon's great head darted forward and strong jaws closed around the unicorn and there was more blood.

And Buffy… Buffy was hanging onto the dragon's neck, crawling purposely forward. The second unicorn saw an opportunity and charged forward, plunging its horn into the softer underside of the neck, it too shaking its head to cause the most damage as possible.

The dragon roar was accompanied by a burst of flame, a tree across the courtyard exploded into a fireball.

"Bloody hell!" gasped the watcher.

The unicorn startled, distracted by the flame and the dragon raked it was razor claws. The unicorn fell, its back legs giving way under it. The dragon pounced on the fallen animal and devoured it.

The dragon paused, blood dripping from its fangs, and turned to where Tara lay; the slayer forgotten. Buffy settled on her perch on the beast's bony forehead. She swung the sword gracefully and then plunged the blade deep into the monster's eye. It released another burst of flame, baking tiles a few meters from Tara's prone form. Buffy pushed the sword deeper and harder. As her arm sank into the gushing eyeball, the blade sank into the creature's brain. The dragon froze for a moment, then its whole body shook with death throws. Buffy held tight and kept driving in the blade until the creature collapsed and every muscle stopped.

…

As soon as Giles had released her, Willow raced to Tara's side.

"Oh God Tara!" cried Willow, tears blurring her vision as she knelt by her girlfriend.

Tara opened one eye.

"Is it over." She asked sitting up slowly.

"Tara!" gasped a delighted Willow, pulling her into a hug.

"Ow!" squawked Tara.

"Sorry." said Willow wincing and letting go tenderly.

"Is she okay?" asked Buffy joining them.

They both looked up at the slayer half covered in slimy fluid.

"I'll live." said Tara, clutching her right arm. "I thought playing dead was safest."

Buffy nodded.

"Hey." laughed Tara, through the pain. "You did it."

"I did didn't I." said Buffy, proudly, "Buffy the dragon slayer."

"We should move." suggested Giles joining them. The burning tree across the courtyard had taken hold and flames were licking at the surrounding buildings.

"Can you walk?" asked Buffy.

"I think so." said the blonde witch, as she slowly tried to get to her feet. "It's mostly bruises I think. And I'm a little bit toasted."

Willow and Buffy supported her as they staggered to safety. They made it passed the library before a massive explosion threw everybody to the ground. The courtyard behind them blossomed with flame.

"I guess dragons are pretty inflammable then." said Buffy dryly as lizard intestines rained down on them.

…

Life was back to normal, by Sunnydale standards. The Scoobies were sat around the research table in the Magic Box; the events of a few hours ago the main topic of conversation.

"I can't believe you missed such a lucrative opportunity." moaned Anya, not for the first time. "I mean when I think of the ready market for dragon's blood and dragon's liver. I just can't believe you let it explode."

"We didn't let it explode." snapped Giles, "It just did."

"The clean-up went pretty well though, don't you think." said Buffy the Dragon Slayer, still proud of her new title.

"Not a magical creature left to cause havoc and death." agreed Willow with a happy grin.

"We were lucky that nothing more dangerous got out." said Giles rubbing his glasses idly. "Just imagine the damage something like… a mermaid could do if it got to the ocean."

Xander started. He hadn't told anyone about his little adventure; about the drive through the slalom of upturned cars and then on to the beach with a water-filled trailer.

"Yeah." He said guiltily. "So how is the clean-up back there going on?" he asked, keen to change to subject.

"The unicorn stink is still hanging around." sighed Giles. "I've tried everything but I can't seem to get rid of it."

"I know what you mean." said Tara, her right arm was in a sling and large purple bruise marked the side of her cheek but she managed a shy smile. "I've scrubbed myself raw."

"I did find a spell to mask the unicorn smell." exclaimed Willow

Tara sniffed her sleeve,

"So as long as you don't mind the room smelling very strongly of boiled cabbage with, I think, a hint of raspberry, we can help."

"I think I'll pass, thanks all the same." said Giles smiling.

…

"Here's another one for you."

The intern wandered wearily over to his colleague. It had been a busy day in the E.R. Almost as soon as he arrived he had been swamped with burn patients, near drowning's, smoke inhalation, car crash injuries. He couldn't imagine what could be next. The news was full with multiple disasters, burst pipes, gas explosions, an experimental aircraft crash, and he'd had to deal with casualties from all of them. His colleague was standing beside a young woman strapped to a gurney. She looked in perfect health.

"She was found wandering the streets. She's got no I.D. She's had a breakdown of some kind."

Now he was nearer he could hear her muttering under her breath as she sobbed.

"It's bad. So bad. Not pretty. Should be pretty. Why is it so so so so so baaaad!"

Ben swallowed dryly; he'd seen these symptoms too many times before. He knew the cause and he knew there was no cure…

**The End**


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